Written by lead vocalist Tim McIlrath, "Satellite" is a melodic hardcore song expressing the idea that the band stood by their social and political beliefs, and that they would not conform to mainstream media.

The song first premiered on March 4, 2011 in a webisode series detailing the recording process of Endgame, but was not released as the album's third single until November 1, 2011.

[5] During the writing process for Endgame, McIlrath noted how he took inspiration from the song "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the country band The Chicks.

[1] John Fortunato of The Aquarian Weekly described the song as a "fist-pounding mantra",[8] while Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic commented on how "Satellite" was produced to "enhance the [album's] melodic nature".

Chad Grischow of IGN commented on the "melodic bliss hidden in the [song's] hammering riffs", and noted how "Satellite" and fellow Endgame track "This Is Letting Go" make the album a "tough resist for even those not accustomed to the staggering punk package it wraps it all up in".

[10] However, Alex Young of Consequence of Sound described the song as one of the haphazard moments from the album,[11] while John Gentile of Punknews.org felt that some of the lyrics were clichéd and bland.